An Experimental Study on the Attribution of Personality Traits to Bullies and Targets in a Workplace Setting

Personality traits and workplace bullying among contract trainee doctors in Malaysia

Introduction

Workplace bullying (WPB) among trainee doctors is a concerning problem in Malaysia. However, there is still limited understanding regarding the influence of trainee doctors' personality traits on WPB. Furthermore, the impact of contract employment status on WPB among trainee doctors is not yet well-defined. To address these gaps, this study was aimed to determine the prevalence of WPB among trainee doctors and to examine the association of sociodemographic characteristics, job characteristics, and personality traits with WPB among trainee doctors in Malaysia.

Methods

A multi-center cross-sectional study was conducted with 264 trainee doctors in Selangor, Malaysia. Eligible participants were provided with sociodemographic characteristics questionnaire, job characteristics questionnaire, WPB questionnaire, and the Big Five Inventory-10 (BFI-10). Chi-square tests were used to examine the association between: (i) sociodemographic characteristics and WPB, (ii) job characteristics and WPB; and (iii) personality traits and WPB. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to evaluate the association between the significant independent variables (as determined from Chi-square tests) and WPB.

Results

The prevalence of WPB was 45.1 %, with verbal abuse being the most common form of bullying (46.2 %). Chi-square test showed that only marital status and low agreeableness were significantly associated with WPB. Subsequently, multiple logistic regression demonstrated that being married (OR: 1.866; 95 % CI: 1.077-3.234) and low agreeableness (OR: 2.287; 95 % CI: 1.169-4.473) were significant predictors of WPB.

Conclusion

The high prevalence of WPB among trainee doctors could be attributed by marriage and low agreeableness personality traits in this population. In order to minimise WPB and maximise workforce potential, it is essential for healthcare institutions and medical training programmes to recognise this vulnerabilities and take steps to protect and support trainee doctors who are married and/or with low agreeableness personality trait.

Reciprocal longitudinal associations of supportive workplace relationships with depressive symptoms and self-rated health: A study of Korean women

BACKGROUND

Supportive relationships in the workplace are important determinants of an individual's psychological health, buffering work stress. This study aimed to estimate the bidirectional association of workplace relationships with depressive symptoms and self-rated health in female workers.

METHODS

Based on the nationally representative biannual survey data from 2014 (T1) to 2020 (T4) (N = 2556), we used a random intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM) to estimate autoregressive and cross-lagged bidirectional associations between workplace relationships and health variables.

RESULTS

Regarding satisfactory workplace relationships and depressive symptoms, a negative correlation was observed at the between-person level. At the within-person level, the cross-lagged path showed that an increase in satisfaction with workplace relationships was related to a subsequent decrease in depressive (T1 to T2: β = -0.039; B = -0.253, P = 0.017). Further, an increase in depressive symptoms was related to subsequent relationship deterioration in the workplace (T1 to T2: β = -0.049, B = -0.007, P = 0.003). Regarding workplace relationships and self-rated health, a positive correlation was observed at the between-person level. At the within-person level, there as was no significant within-person level association between WPR and self-rated health. and the effect sizes were small.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests a bidirectional association between workplace relationships and depressive symptoms. Therefore, it is important to implement intervention programs that promote workplace interpersonal relationships and workers' mental health.

Workplace bullying: individual hostility, poor work environment or both? Exploring competing explanatory models in a single longitudinal study

PURPOSE

A central focus of research and literature on workplace bullying is the importance of explanatory factors such as individual dispositions (i.e., the vulnerability hypothesis) and work environment factors (i.e., the work environment hypothesis). Although several studies address the importance of the two approaches, as well as their individual and combined effects, the unique contribution of each of the competing approaches remain unexplored in a single longitudinal study.

METHODS

Based on Affective Events Theory, we explore the contribution of work environment and individual hostility in the occurrence of workplace bullying over time, using two-wave survey data, collected with a 6-month time lag among 152 employees from 7 private and public workplaces.

RESULTS

Results confirmed that work environment factors predicted later exposure to bullying. Exposure to workplace bullying at T1 was also related to a poor work environment at T2. Results further showed that higher exposure to workplace bullying at T1 and T2 was related to higher levels of almost all aspects of individual hostility over time. Moreover, poor working conditions especially in T1 predicted individual hostility at T2.

CONCLUSION

The present study thus documents that a poor work environment fosters bullying, and when bullying exists in a workplace, this elicits interpersonal hostility. Results points to the importance of addressing, through research and practice, work environment factors as predictors of workplace bullying.

Prevalence of Bullying Behaviors Among Students From a National University in the United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background

This study aims to investigate bullying behaviors among college students at one of the national universities in UAE, and also to examine the psychological characteristics of those who were exposed to, or have experienced bullying.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted on 839 undergraduate students at one of the national universities in the UAE. Students from all colleges participated in this study and were selected by using stratified random sampling. Participants completed a bullying survey designed for the study, in addition to three psychological measures [i.e., Aggression Questionnaire, Buss and Perry, 1992; The Primary Care Anxiety and Depression, El-Rufaie et al., 1997; and the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fifth Edition (PCL-5), Weathers et al., 2013].

Results

The prevalence rate of students being exposed to or engaged in bullying was 26.3% (221 out of 839). Of those, 72 students (8.7%) reported being bullied, 29 (3.6%) reported bullying others, and 185 (22.8%) reported witnessing friends being bullied. The most common types of bullying reported were traditional bullying (e.g., face-to-face bullying, verbal, and physical). Cyberbullying was not very common. More females reported being bullied in comparison to males and most of the aggressors were peer students. Overall, moderate level of aggressive personality traits and low levels of symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PTSD were reported for the total sample. T-tests revealed significant differences in the three psychological measures between those who did not experience bullying and those who did. The mean scores on the Aggression Questionnaire for those who bullied others were significantly higher than those who did not experience bullying.

Conclusion

Experiences of bullying seem to impact college students’ mental health in the UAE. Therefore, efforts need to focus on developing preventive programs to increase students’ awareness of bullying and its negative impact on campus environment. Offering psychological help for those who were exposed to bullying would help them to deal effectively with this trauma.

The effect of workplace bullying on burnout: the mediating role of affective well-being

Purpose

This study aims to examine the impact of workplace bullying on employees’ burnout by investigating the mediating effect of affective well-being (AWB).

Design/methodology/approach

Data of 532 employees from diverse organizations in Portugal were collected. These data were collected using anonymously completed structured questionnaires available online.

Findings

The results support the research hypotheses proposed, confirming that workplace bullying is related to both AWB and burnout. Moreover, affective workplace bullying partially mediates the relationship between workplace bullying and burnout, indicating that the victims have their AWB reduced, and, consequently, increase their burnout levels.

Practical implications

The findings suggest that organizations can foster employees’ AWB and reduce the level of burnout by encouraging organizations to develop preventive policies and practices to safeguard against bullying at work.

Originality/value

To this date, only a few studies have examined mediating and moderating variables (Nielsen and Einersen, 2018) and none include AWB as a mediator of the relationship between workplace bullying and burnout. This study answers the call for further empirical research from those who have argued that more information is needed to understand the workplace bullying phenomenon and contributes to the growing debate on this topic and its effects on employees.

Victimization In Childhood Affects Depression In Adulthood Via Neuroticism：A Path Analysis Study

BACKGROUND

Adverse experiences, such as low care, overprotection, or abuse in childhood increase the likelihood of depression via their effects on personality traits. Similarly, being victimized in childhood may affect the likelihood of depression via personality traits. In this case-control study, we hypothesized that being victimized in childhood is associated with depression in adulthood via its effect on neuroticism, and verified this hypothesis using path analysis.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Eighty-two major depressive disorder (MDD) patients and 350 age-and-sex matched healthy controls completed self-administered questionnaires of demographic data, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, neuroticism, and victimization. The association between victimization, neuroticism, and depressive symptoms or having major depression was investigated by path analysis.

RESULTS

Multiple group path analysis, in which depressive symptoms were considered as dependent variables, showed that the direct effect of victimization in childhood on depressive symptoms was not statistically significant in either healthy controls or MDD patients (standardized path coefficient: 0.079 and 0.084, respectively), but their indirect effects via neuroticism were statistically significant (standardized path coefficient: 0.059 and 0.141, respectively). Path analysis, in which the distinction between healthy controls and MDD patients was a dependent variable, showed that both direct effects and indirect effects of victimization in childhood via neuroticism on the distinction between healthy controls and MDD patients were statistically significant (standardized path coefficient: 0.186 and 0.164, respectively).

LIMITATIONS

Recall bias and the relatively small number of MDD patients are limitations of this study. Because it was a case-control survey, this study could not make any conclusions regarding causal associations.

CONCLUSION

This study suggests the possibility of causal associations between victimization in childhood and depressive symptoms or MDD in adulthood, and the mediation of this association by neuroticism.